March 12. Sunday Night.

Hi Journey.

There's just nothing like the little sprigs of sweet joy that a child's laughter brings. Today in Sunday School Tee was laughing so hard I swear she nearly wet her pants. For a change she wasn't at odds with Jack Heckstrom. Instead her and a couple of the other girls were just crazy about some Teen Jesus cartoons they'd snuck into class this morning.

I let the trio cackle on for a few moments then confiscated their paper. They were typical Teen Jesus cartoons: Jesus is tired of carpenter training so he just sits on the floor and the hammer starts nailing all by itself; Jesus shortcutting it home from school by jogging across the lake; mild stuff that makes the Lord seem a bit more human. I think if we instill that in kids while they're young, it makes it easier for them to lean on Him when they need Him as they grow older. Still and all, I can't just have the kids giggling all through class.

Well, maybe I could , Journey, but I doubt the rest of the Sunday School teachers would appreciate it.

And it's been a day full of joy, Journey. Went for a great run right before church. Around noon Eddie drove up in his new truck and treated me to a quick lunch—just a grilled chicken salad at Perky Pete's sub over in Eastlake , but it hit the spot. I like to take it light on Sunday, Journey, especially if I've troughed out on burgers like I did last night.

Worked most of the day away yesterday. It was a delightful spring day, so I did break for a half hour lunch and just ambled up and down the few blocks bordering the shop. Felt good to be outside and just listen to the birds chirp and the light Saturday midday traffic.

But the best thing about yesterday's projects was that they were all about customers. I reviewed three homes that Viv and Dana are working on, and rifled through some couch swatches Shelly is recommending for a new client over in Bella Heights . Shelly is spot-on, of course, but I had several suggestions to enhance Viv and Dana's plans. Neither of them has a clear sense of what proper lighting can do for a room. They would do well to learn to throw in a few hundred dollars worth of extra lighting on every proposal. For what our clients are willing to pay for refitting their homes, that's small change. But it always makes a world of difference in the way the client enjoys their new room.

And I didn't have to do a scrap of paperwork yesterday, Journey. Not one invoice to review, not one purchase order to approve; hey, I didn't even have to approve any vacation or sick-time forms for personnel files. It was bliss.

OK, maybe not bliss. It was certainly the absence of headaches, which is a first cousin to joy. I think for pure joy to sprout up I have to get rid of the encumbrances to it. Paperwork is a major one of those, but so are things like traffic.

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